Dubai has a long way to go in terms of sustainable building, according to architecture experts.

Speaking at the WorldEcoConstruct summit, Sherif Anis, regional director, CBT Architects and secretary, AIA Middle East, UAE, said Dubai is “a wonderful city in a lot of respects but in terms of sustainable building it’s got a long, long way to go.”

Kyle Krall, senior principal, Thornton Tomasetti, UAE, added that Dubai is now undergoing a process of retro-fitting, which is making it more of a sustainable city.

Both Anis and Krall pointed out that Abu Dhabi has been more responsible with regard to its buildings and architecture.

“I think Abu Dhabi always had a different outlook about this [architecture] from the start and are building sustainably and responsibly. They’re thinking more about environment and culture and the economy, whereas Dubai didn’t really put those at the top of the list,” said Anis.

Krall added: “Obviously Abu Dhabi now has Estidama as one of their requirements, and people can go above and beyond those requirements, which should be encouraged.”